Friday, December 1, 2017

With Ukraine President Poroshenko Senators McCain and Graham on 1/1/2017 urge restart of Ukraine civil war and "regime change" against Russia and Putin to be funded by US taxpayers. The Senators weren't authorized to incite war in Ukraine or to conduct US foreign policy, likely breaking multiple US laws

Our fight is not with the Russian people but
with Putin.Our promise to you is to take your cause to Washington, inform the
American people of your bravery and make the case against Putin to the world."[In the video, Lindsey Graham rubs his hands together as he speaks]

The comments by both Graham
and McCain seem particularly malevolent since they obviously are not making any
kind of personal sacrifice in restarting this conflict.

What is
even more interesting is a little-known federal law called the Logan
Act, dating back to 1799, which reads as follows:"Any citizen of the United States, wherever
he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly
commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign
government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the
measures or conduct of any foreign governmentor of any officer or agent
thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States,
or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title
or imprisoned not more than three years, or both."In
addition, a very influential Supreme Court decision from December 1936, United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corporation looked at the sale of
unauthorized/illegal munitions of war and the delicate balance between the
powers wielded by the Executive Branch when it acts without congressional
authorization in foreign affairs.

Here are the key paragraphs in the
decision:

"Not
only, as we have shown, is the federal power over external affairs in origin
and essential character different from that over internal affairs, but
participation in the exercise of the power is significantly limited.In this
vast external realm, with its important, complicated, delicate and manifold
problems, the President alone has the power to speak or listen as a
representative of the nation. He makes treaties with the advice and consent of
the Senate; but he alone negotiates. Into the field of negotiation the Senate
cannot intrude; and Congress itself is powerless to invade it. As [Supreme Court Chief Justice] Marshall said
in his great argument of March 7, 1800, in the House of Representatives, 'The
President is the sole organ of the nation in its external relations, and its
sole representative with foreign nations...The
President is the constitutional representative of the United States with regard
to foreign nations. He manages our concerns with foreign nations and must
necessarily be most competent to determine when, how, and upon what subjects
negotiation may be urged with the greatest prospect of success. For his conduct
he is responsible to the Constitution. The committee considers this
responsibility the surest pledge for the faithful discharge of his duty....The nature of transactions with foreign
nations, moreover, requires caution and unity of design, and their success
frequently depends on secrecy and dispatch." (my bold)